It has emerged that Islamist militants are beheading children as young as 11 in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado, according to the aid agency Save the Children. Save the Children are reporting that one mother had had to watch in horror as her 12-year-old son was killed whilst on his way to where she was hiding with her other children.
Since the Islamist insurgency began in 2017, in excess of 2,500 people have been killed as well as 700,000 have fled their homes. The militants have previously pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group.
One mother has said that her eldest child had been beheaded near where she and her other children were hiding. She has chosen to withhold her name in order to protect her identity. She has said: “That night our village was attacked, and houses were burned. When it all started, I was at home with my four children. We tried to escape to the woods, but they took my eldest son and beheaded him. We couldn’t do anything because we would be killed too”.
Chance Briggs is Save the Children’s director in Mozambique. She has said: “Our staff have been brought to tears when hearing the stories of suffering told by mothers in displacement camps”.
The insurgents are known as ‘al-Shabab’ which means The Youth in Arabic. The group receive support from predominantly Muslim residents in the Cabo Delgado region. UNN’s Oliver Down will be keeping across any further developments and will bring you more as we get it.
Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!
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